First Aid For Punctured Wounds

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First Aid For Punctured Wounds

To remove a splinter: slip the point of a small knife-blade under the protruding end and catch it with the thumb-nail; or, use a needle sterilized in flame, or tweezers. Bits of glass should be cut out, lest they break.

If a fish-hook is embedded in the flesh, never try to pull it out backward. Push it through until the barb appears, clip this off with nippers, and withdraw. If you have no nippers, cut the hook out—in fact this is good treatment, anyhow, for the wound then is open for antiseptic treatment, and will heal without danger of festering.

A puncture from a rusty nail, or the like, should be slit open so that your antiseptic is sure to reach the bottom. This hurts less than cauterizing, and is quite effective. If a small punctured wound is not cut open, soak it in sterilized hot water, and squeeze out as much as possible of the poisonous matter that may have been introduced. Never cover a punctured wound with plaster or collodion.